Vitina

Vitina
Витина/Vitina  (Serbian)
Vitia or Vitisë  (Albanian)
Town and municipality
Vitina

Location in Kosovo

Coordinates: 42°18′N 21°23′E / 42.300°N 21.383°E / 42.300; 21.383
Country Kosovo[lower-alpha 1]
District District of Gjilan
Government
 • Mayor Sokol Haliti
Area
 • Total 270 km2 (100 sq mi)
Elevation 499 m (1,637 ft)
Population (2014)
 • Total 47,434
 • Density 180/km2 (460/sq mi)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 61000
Area code(s) +381 280
Car plates 06
Website Municipality of Vitina

Vitina (Serbian, Витина) or Vitia (Albanian, Vitisë) is a town and municipality in the District of Gjilan of south-eastern Kosovo.[lower-alpha 1]

Municipality

  • Ballancë/Balance
  • Begunce
  • Binça/Binač
  • Budrikë e Epërme/Gornja Budrika
  • Buzovik
  • Çifllak/Čiflak
  • Debelldeh/Debelde
  • Devajë/Devaja
  • Drobesh/Drobeš
  • Gërmovë/Grmovo
  • Gjylekar/Đelekare
  • Goden i Madh/Veliki Goden
  • Gushicë/Gušica
  • Kabash/Kabaš
  • Letnicë/Letnica
  • Lubishtë/Ljubište
  • Mjak/Mijak
  • Novosellë/Novo Selo
  • Podgorc/Podgorce
  • Pozharan/Požaranje
  • Radivojc/Radivojce
  • Ramjan/Donje Ramnjane
  • Ramnishtë/Ravnište
  • Remnik/Ribnik
  • Sadovinë e Çerkezëve/Čerkez Sadovina
  • Sadovinë e Jerlive/Jerli Sadovina
  • Shasharë/Šašare
  • Sllatinë e Epërme/Gornja Slatina
  • Sllatinë e Poshtme/Donja Slatina
  • Smirë/Smira
  • Stubëll e Epërme/Gornja Stubla
  • Stubëll e Poshtme/Donja Stubla
  • Tërpezë/Trpeza
  • Tërstenik/Trstenik
  • Vërban/Vrban
  • Vërnakollë/Vrnavokolo
  • Vërnez/Vrnez
  • Zhiti/Žitinje

History

A protest in Vitina, monitored by KFOR troops, January 2000.

Ottoman period

The municipality has several settlements historically inhabited by the Laramans, crypto-Catholics.

Kosovo War and aftermath

Following the 1999 Kosovo War, it was the home of A Company, 2/505 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, the first KFOR troops to begin stabilization efforts in the municipality. After the initial unit left, Vitina was the site of a subsequent international scandal when a Staff Sgt. Frank J. Ronghi, from A company, 3/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment raped and killed a local girl. The subsequent investigation uncovered serious training and leadership deficiencies in the 3/504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, and catalysed a tremendous change in the training of units deploying for peacekeeping operations.[1]

During the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the Orthodox cemetery in Vitina and the village of Dobreš were hit by missiles.[2]

In August 2003, explosive devices planted in Klokot destroyed five Serb houses, with several injuries, including two American KFOR soldiers.[3]

Serbian Orthodox cemeteries have been destroyed in Vitina, among other towns, and in 2004 during unrest, nuns of the Binča monastery were physically attacked, by ethnic Albanians.[4]

Contemporary

In 2013 in response to a KLA monument being removed by Serbian authorities in Preševo, a Kosovo Albanian crowd in Vitina demolished a Yugoslav-era memorial for anti-fascist Partisans that were killed during the Second World War.[5] Members of the Kosovo Police were present but did nothing to intervene. The incident was filmed and posted to YouTube.[6]

Demographics

Ethnic Composition, Including IDPs
Year/Population Albanian  % Serbs  % Croats  % Roma  % Total
1961 20,496 60.92 10,442 31.04 2,077 6.17 21 33,642
1971 26,927 67.69 9,649 24.26 2,613 6.57 126 0.32 39,780
1981 35,105 73.38 8,369 17.49 3,722 7.78 229 0.49 47,839
1991 45,078 78.68 7,002 12.22 4,331 7.56 373 0.65 57,290
2011 46 669 99,3 113 0,24 70 0,12646 987
Reference: Yugoslav population census data, and the 2011 census in Kosovo.

See also

Notes and references

Notes:

  1. 1 2 Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia. The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory. The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from 111 out of 193 United Nations member states.

References:

  1. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2000/08/02/world/us-sergeant-gets-life-in-murder-of-kosovo-girl-11.html%7Cdate=May 2008
  2. ↑ Civilian Deaths in the NATO Air Campaign. Human Rights Watch. 2000. p. 59.
  3. ↑ Serbian Studies. 18. North American Society for Serbian Studies. 2004. p. 315.
  4. ↑ Savo B. Jović (2007). Ethnic Cleansing and Cultural Genocide on Kosovo and Metohija: Testimony to the Suffering of the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian People from 1945 to 2005. Holy Synod of Bishops of The Serbian Orthodox Church. pp. 113, 157. ISBN 978-86-7758-017-9.
  5. ↑ Ristic, Marija; Peci, Edona (22 January 2013). "UN Seeks Calm After Serbia Monument Protest". Balkaninsight. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  6. ↑ "Serb cemeteries, memorials desecrated in Kosovo". B92. Beta/Tanjug. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 16 February 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
 
Largest cities or towns in Kosovo
(KAS Population of Kosovo 2015 )
Rank Name Districts Pop. Rank Name Districts Pop.

Pristina

Prizren		 1 Pristina Pristina 204,721 11 Suva Reka Prizren 59,681
Ferizaj (Uroševac)

Peć
2 Prizren Prizren 186,986 12 Orahovac Gjakova 58,908
3 Ferizaj (Uroševac) Ferizaj (Uroševac) 101,174 13 Lipljan Pristina 56,643
4 Peć Peć 97,890 14 Mališevo Prizren 57,301
5 Gjakova Gjakova 94,543 15 Skenderaj (Srbica) Mitrovica 51,746
6 Podujevo Pristina 83,425 16 Vitina Gjilan 46,742
7 Mitrovica Mitrovica 80,623 17 Deçan Peć 41,173
8 Gjilan Gjilan 80,525 18 Istok Peć 39,604
9 Vučitrn Mitrovica 64,578 19 Klina Peć 39,208
10 Glogovac (Drenas) Pristina 60,175 20 Kosovo Polje (Fushë Kosova) Pristina 37,048

Coordinates: 42°19′N 21°21′E / 42.317°N 21.350°E / 42.317; 21.350

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